


Love is Blue

by No_Thoughts_Just_Thots



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood, Diego Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Diego is kidnapped, Diego whump, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Five is a badass, Hurt/Comfort, Knives, Non-Consensual Kissing, The Commission, dark!Lila au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:48:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25723114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/No_Thoughts_Just_Thots/pseuds/No_Thoughts_Just_Thots
Summary: “Don’t piss me off, Hargreeves.”“Or what?”“Or I can make this much worse for you.”“I would hope so, you’ve been shit at your job so far.”“Fuck you.”“After this? Never.”An AU in which Lila kidnapped Diego right after they left the asylum, and was assigned to get information from him herself. Lots of angst ensues. Also some brotherly love.
Relationships: Diego Hargreeves/Lila Pitts
Comments: 89
Kudos: 207





	1. The Curious Happenings of a Kidnapped Hero

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! So this season was fucking fantastic, and I absolutely had to write something about it! I really love how this turned out, even if it is a bit darker than what I normally do. I didn't tag non-con, but just know there is some non-consensual kissing/touching in this chapter, so if you're not into that click away! I'm all about dark Lila, but I know some people aren't, and that's cool! However, if you are, enjoy the first installment of this story! Wasn't beta'd but was heavily encouraged by on of my close friends mushroomman225, so shout out to her! And now for the drama!  
> \- Jo

Diego’s mouth felt like sandpaper when he woke up, his tongue scraping against the roof of his mouth. That was the first thing he noticed anyway, before he realized how cramped his muscles were and it seemed trivial by comparison, his arms and back seizing up so bad he thought he might pull something. He couldn’t remember what had happened, only that he and Lila had escaped the asylum. His first terrifying thought was perhaps the asylum guards who’d lived through the shoot out had gotten them back. His second, more terrifying thought was that it was someone else who’d trapped him.

He _was _trapped, he realized slowly, flexing his hands as much as he could with how tightly they were tied to the wooden chair he was on. His feet were bound too, and his boots were gone, his feet sinking into the plush carpet beneath him. Thankfully, whoever it was had left him the rest of his clothes, even if they were sadly lacking in weapons. He took a deep breath, taking stock of what was around him, letting old training kick in.__

____

__He appeared to be in some sort of lavishly decorated hotel room, painted in golds and greens, with all of the curtains drawn. His chair was in the middle of the room, far from any surfaces that could hide any potential means of escape, and facing what must have been the front door of the place. He strained against his ropes again, sighing as they refused to budge. Whatever demented interior designer had kidnapped him certainly knew what they were doing._ _

____

__He tensed as he heard a sound from within one of the other rooms, his hands clenching into fists as though he could fight off whoever it was. He could hear the mumble of voices too, one of them definitely female, the other he couldn’t tell. He didn’t have to wait long, as he heard a door behind him swing open, and attempted to jerk his head around to look._ _

____

__“Diego! You’re awake!” someone cried, and he stopped struggling for a moment, eyes going wide._ _

____

__“Lila?” he choked out, his throat still dry. Sure enough, she sauntered into his line of sight, placing her hands on her hips and looking him up and down, smiling a bit too wide for his taste. “What are you doing? We have to get out of here, how did we…” He quieted as she smiled even wider, walking slowly closer to him._ _

____

__“What the hell is going on?” he managed, his voice coming back to him slightly._ _

____

__“I want you to think really hard.” she said softly, almost sounding sincere as she brushed a stray piece of hair back from his face. “What do you remember?”_ _

____

__“We escaped.” he muttered. “And then we were in the car, and you said… you said sorry.” His head snapped up. “You knocked me out.”_ _

____

__“There you go!” she said brightly. “Knew I didn’t hit you that hard.”_ _

____

__“Lila what’s going on?” Diego asked again, trying to keep his voice level. “Where are we?”_ _

____

__“It’s really quite simple.” Lila knelt down in front of him, resting her chin on her hand and leaning onto his knee. “I was never actually committed, Diego. That was all a lie.”_ _

____

__“Why were you there then?” he tried to jerk his leg away. “For me? I don’t have anything you want, I don’t even-“_ _

____

__“You’re right, you don’t.” she cut him off. “It was never about you, silly boy, it was about your brother.” She trailed her hand up his leg nonchalantly, still looking him in the eyes through her dark makeup._ _

____

__“My brother?”_ _

____

__“Five.” she continued. “We need him, he’s going to be useful to us, or so I’m told.”_ _

____

__“Who’s we?” Diego glared at her, pointedly ignoring where her hand rested on his thigh. “Who the hell are you working for?”_ _

____

__“You really are slow, aren’t you?” she gave a small pout, digging her nails in as she stood up. He tried not to breathe a sigh of relief. “I trust you’ve heard of the Commission?”_ _

____

__“Yeah, Five works for you guys, doesn’t he?” he tried to ease some of the tension out of his shoulders, craning his neck as much as he could when she walked behind him._ _

____

__“He did.” she sighed. “But he proved… unruly. He left, you see, and now we need him back to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid, which seems to be what your family excels at.” She drummed her fingers on his shoulder and he focused on staring ahead. She was trying to intimidate him, confuse him somehow, and he wasn’t going to let her._ _

____

__“So you need me to tell you where he is.” he said, keeping his voice flat._ _

____

__“Ah, there you go, you are catching on!” She ruffled his hair, then made a small noise of protest as her jerked his head away._ _

____

__“So everything you said was bullshit?” he snapped. “Everything you said when we were in there? About me?” He hissed as she grabbed a handful of the sensitive hair towards the nape of his neck, jerking his head backwards so he was looking at her upside-down. He imagined he probably looked stupid, but so did she, staring down at him._ _

____

__“Not all of it.” she said lightly, tracing the fingertips of her other hand down his cheekbone while he glared daggers at her. “I wasn’t lying when I said you were pretty, that’s true. And I suppose in the right circumstances you could be clever, but…” she sighed. “Yeah, the rest was a lie.”_ _

____

__He sagged slightly in his chair, trying as best he could to avert his eyes from hers. Trying not to think about the days in the asylum, holding hands under a table, giving chaste kisses on the way to bed, closing his eyes as she whispered in his ear that she might love him. He was an idiot._ _

____

__“Diego, I really am sorry.” Lila sighed, loosening her grip and letting his head fall to his chest. “It’s not personal, really, it’s just I was trusted with finding Five, and I really want to impress my mother.”_ _

____

__“Your mother?” he looked up again._ _

____

__“The Handler.” Lila explained, finally making her way back to the front of his chair. “She’s the boss at the Commission now.”_ _

____

__“And that means she can get you to do her dirty work?” he smirked at her. Her gaze darkened._ _

____

__“I was trusted with an important job.” she snapped._ _

____

__“Getting locked in a crazy house?”_ _

____

__“Getting information!”_ _

____

__“Was it in the plan to try and get in my pants or did you make that up as you went along?” His stare matched hers, her eyes now blazing._ _

____

__“Don’t flatter yourself, Hargreeves.” she took a deep breath. “You were just a pawn to get to Five.”_ _

____

__“And you’d know all about being a pawn, wouldn’t you?”_ _

____

__He heard the slap before he felt it, the crack of her hand on his cheek loud in the cluttered room. He forced himself to plaster on a dangerous smile as he looked at her again._ _

____

__“Cut the shit and tell me where Five is.”_ _

____

__“Fuck you.” he spat. She surged forward and raised her hand as if to slap him again, then paused, narrowing her eyes._ _

____

__“I don’t want to hurt you Diego.”_ _

____

__“Can’t say the same.” he flexed his fists underneath the rope. “Really feel like I could hurt you right now.”_ _

____

__“You don’t mean that.”_ _

____

__“Trust me, I do.” he thought of Five and flashed her a shit-eating grin._ _

____

__“I thought you loved me.” She crossed her arms petulantly, pouting again. He scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief._ _

____

__“I thought I_ did_, and then you kidnapped me!” he silently thanked whoever might be listening that his stutter wasn't creeping into his voice. She stood silently a moment, looking him up and down again in a way that made him want to curl in on himself. 

____

__“I can get you let go.” she said suddenly, switching tactics. “We can get out of here, Diego, go somewhere…”_ _

____

__“You think I’d go anywhere with you?” Diego interrupted. “You’re crazier than I thought, L.”_ _

____

__“If you tell us where Five is, I can convince my mother to let you go free!” she insisted._ _

____

__“Even if I wanted to tell you shit, I couldn’t.” he tensed as she walked closer, feeling trapped. “I don’t know where he is, none of us do.”_ _

____

__“I don’t believe you.” she said simply. She sank onto his lap and sat down, straddling him as she clasped her hands behind his neck. His breathing sharpened as he tried to lean as far back as he could._ _

____

__“Get off.” he snapped._ _

____

__“Why?” she shot back. “Distracted?”_ _

____

__“You know, with your mom being the Handler or whatever, I would’ve thought you’d be better at this.”_ _

____

__“Aren’t I?” she smirked as she leaned in even closer, kissing up the side of his neck. He shivered._ _

____

__“You’re not…” he hissed as her teeth nipped at his throat. “You’re not going to get anything useful from me.”_ _

____

__“We’ll see about that.” She pulled away and surveyed him for a moment, then leaned in to crash her lips to his._ _

____

__He made a small grunting sound, trying to angle his head away, then growling when she grabbed either side of his face, forcing him to deepen the kiss. Her teeth scraped his bottom lip, almost hard enough to draw blood. When she finally drew back they were both breathing heavily._ _

____

__“Cheap.” he managed to force out through deep breaths._ _

____

__“Don’t piss me off, Hargreeves.”_ _

____

__“Or what?”_ _

____

__“Or I can make this much worse for you.”_ _

____

__“I would hope so, you’ve been shit at your job so far.”_ _

____

__“Fuck you.”_ _

____

__“After this? Never.”_ _

____

__She slid her hands underneath the collar of his button down, sliding them over the curves of his shoulders, her eyes still looking deep into his. He let out a small yelp as she suddenly dug her nails in even harder than before, raking across his collarbone._ _

____

__“Feel like talking? Last chance.” she said softly, twining her fingers in his hair and pulling backwards with a surprising amount of strength._ _

____

__“I don’t know where he is, Lila.” he growled._ _

____

__“Fine.” she snapped. “Moving on then.”_ _

____

__Her hands had disappeared from his hair and were trailing down his front, past the buttons and down to his waistband. He jerked slightly as she undid his belt, smirking._ _

____

__“Lila what the_ fuck_ -“ he struggled with renewed vigor. 

____

____“Oh relax.” she rolled her eyes as she pulled the belt off from around his waist. “You’ve made it quite clear you want nothing to do with me, so fine. I can switch it up.”_ _ _ _

____

____She slid off his lap slowly, letting her hands linger on his legs. He tensed again as she made her way behind him, his belt looped in her hand. He felt her lean down behind him, her lips brushing the shell of his ear._ _ _ _

____

____“Now stay still.” she ordered. He opened his mouth to snap something back at her, then immediately regretted it as his airflow was cut off, his belt now wrapped around his neck._ _ _ _

____

____He tried to stay calm, but not being ready meant he was already panicking, his hands scrabbling weakly at the arms of his chair. He could feel her arms shaking slightly with effort of holding him, but they held firm all the same, his eyes rolling back in his head as he let out pathetic wheezing sounds._ _ _ _

____

____“Lila…” he choked out, his vision going black at the edges. Finally, she let go, sending him into a coughing fit as he sucked air into his lungs. She shoved harshly at the back of his head, almost enough to send him toppling forward._ _ _ _

____

____“Feeling ready to chat yet?” she asked, tone laced with menace._ _ _ _

____

____“I told you, I d-don’t know… where he is!” he forced out. Shit, he_ really_ didn’t need his words to start failing him right now. He felt weak enough.__

____

______He barely had time to breathe in again as she went back to holding him, her grip even stronger this time. He felt himself start shaking, his head moving erratically as he tried to escape. He felt himself floating towards unconsciousness, images of the asylum flooding his head. People holding, squeezing, too tight straps wrapped around his body, cracking his own bones to finally get out. He thought briefly of his asshole brother, wondering where the_ fuck_ he could be, and then his head lolled backwards, and he blacked out for a moment.___ _

____

________He jolted back to consciousness a few moments later, Lila slapping at his cheek hard enough to make him wince. Her face had darkened even further, and she was red with the exertion of holding himself in place. Somehow, amongst the haze of his pounding head, that felt like a small victory. The feeling dissipated quickly as she moved closer, all business._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“He’s your brother.” she snapped the belt in her hands and he flinched despite himself. “He has to have said something to you.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“We haven’t t-talked much.” he said quickly. “He only visited me once in the asylum Lila, he didn’t tell me anything.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“Bullshit.” she moved forward and snaked the leather around his neck again as he yelled, thrashing against his bonds._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“Wait, Lila please, just wait!” he cried, panic rising up in his throat. “I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you everything he said, Lila I will, just don’t, please, I c-can’t…” he trailed off, his eyes screwed shut, bracing himself. He felt her move her hands away slowly, and forced himself to take a steadying breath._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“Oh Diego.” she sighed, bringing a hand up to his face once more. This time, she didn’t hit him, simply stroking her thumb across his cheekbone. He didn’t move. “I don’t have to do it again, you know.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“I don’t know where he is.” he said slowly, trying to make the words come easier. “But he… he came to the asylum, a few days ago. He said something about preventing some sort of disaster and…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“And?” she pressed, brushing a piece of hair behind his ear._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“I told him I wanted to save Kennedy, that I couldn’t help him until I did… and th-then he left.” He looked at her pleadingly. “But that’s it, Lila, I swear, that’s all that happened-“_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

________She snapped the belt again, and he jerked away from her. It was getting harder and harder to focus against the pounding in his head, his vision still swimming. His throat felt thick, and it was making talking even harder than it normally was. He couldn’t think straight, could only see the weapon in Lila’s hand on the smirk on her face. He sat silently, taking shuddery breath in through his nose._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“Right, well, I’m getting bored now.” Lila said after a moment, standing up and stretching. “You’re full of shit, Diego.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

________“Lila, p- _please_ …” he croaked, lowering his head to stare at his lap. “Don’t, don’t…”________

____

____

____

__________“Shut up.” Lila snapped, and he winced as she grabbed his jaw, forcing him to look at her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

____

____

__________He tried to stay as still as he could when she pulled him in for another bruising kiss, too weak to even jerk his head away. He could feel sleep pulling at him again, his eyes fluttering shut. She pulled away, but still didn’t let go, eyeing up his neck, which he was certain looked like shit._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

____

____

__________“Try not to miss me too much.” she plastered on fake looking smile, moving her hand down to his neck and squeezing hard enough to make moisture prick at the corner of his eyes. “Because we are going to have_ oh_ so much fun when I get back.”___ _ _ _ _ _

____

____

____

____________Finally, she let go, moving behind him. He heard a clinking sound, which he assumed was his belt hitting the floor, then the sound of the door opening and closing. He waited a moment, then heard talking start up again, and finally let himself relax. His neck hurt so bad he could barely move it, but for the moment he was happy to let his head roll back, closing his eyes against the garish lamps of the room._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

____

____

____________He was an idiot. All the things he’d said, shit, the things they’d_ done_ in that asylum, everything he’d told her… it meant nothing. Maybe he should’ve known. He closed his eyes even tighter, trying not to think about it too hard. He could still hear Lila talking on the other side of the door, and the sound was weirdly comforting. In fact, with his eyes closed like this, he could pretend they were back at the asylum, her reading some bullshit novel while he laid on the couch. He could’ve laughed at how fucked that was.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

____

____

______________He tried to imagine that was what she was doing, and it calmed him, despite the aching in his wrists and neck. Taking another deep breath, he settled into the chair, and within moments was asleep._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

____

____


	2. The Curious Happenings of the Boy In The Asylum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five is on the hunt for his brother, and it doesn't go quite as he expected it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Okay okay, so I know this is so criminally late, but please believe me when I say that I have had a crazy week! The other chapter should be on Saturday lol. But either way, hope enjoy this bit! Had a really good time writing some Five, and thanks as always to my beta and wife mushroomman225!  
> \- Jo

Five took another deep, irritated breath as he stalked around the front room of the asylum, his dress shoes squeaking against the tile floor. Though he possessed many skills (which he would gladly tell you about), patience was not one of them. The clock on the wall was a few minutes behind, and it felt infuriatingly loud even from the other side of the room. Taking his hands out of his pockets, he strolled back over to the front desk, giving his best attempt at a civil smile.  
“Excuse me.” he said, dripping fake cordiality as he tapped sharply on the tabletop. 

The woman working the front desk was so dead in the eyes she could’ve been another Commission burnout, her tiny reading glasses sliding down her nose as she worked. In one hand, she held a stack of purple stained hospital documents that she appeared to be reading, and in the other was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which he imagined was the culprit of the marred papers. She didn’t even look up as Five glared at her expectantly, shoving his hands back into his pockets as they curled into fists.

“I’m here to inquire about a patient.” he forced out. “Diego Hargreeves.”

The woman still didn’t look up, seemingly absorbed in her reading as she took another bite from the sandwich. Five could feel himself tensing even further, his nerves prickling with the need to punch something. He tapped his foot loudly, all hints of politeness gone as he let out another, much louder sigh. She still didn’t move, and he felt his face pull into something murderous.

“Look, lady, do you work here or not?” he snapped. “I’m kind of in a hurry, and I really need-“

“Ain’t you a bit young to be here by yourself?” she interrupted, finally looking up from her reading to glare back at him over her glasses.

“Does it matter?”

The woman rolled her eyes, looking immensely put upon as she shuffled her papers again, as if she had much better things to be doing. Five clenched his jaw, shifting his weight as she moved all of the documents into a different drawer.

“The name is Diego Hargreeves.” he repeated, his nerves feeling flayed.

“Hargreeves?” 

“Yes.”

“Wait a minute, is that the knife guy?” she asked, leaning back in her chair with a squeak.

“Yeah, that’s him.” he sighed. “I was in here visiting him yesterday.”

“He your dad or something?”

“No, he’s my…” he trailed off. Whoever had been working yesterday had not made it this complicated. Keeping a low profile with his powers was a pain in the ass. “Look, why do you give a shit?”

“Because 12 year-olds don’t usually show up here inquiring after inmates.” she snapped back, her thick accent somehow getting even more prominent.

“Believe me, I know, but I just…” he stopped for a moment, considering his options. Whoever this lady was, he was clearly getting nowhere. He plastered on a smile again, this one perhaps even tighter that the first. “Where can I find the men’s room?”

By the time he had found the tiny room in the hallway, he felt firmly reminded of why following the rules was bullshit. He took a deep breath as he found a stall and locked himself in, thankful that he had it to himself. He supposed asylums weren’t popular tourist destinations.

He relaxed as much as he could before giving himself over to the familiar feeling of teleporting, stumbling only slightly as he materialized in a different hallway. He checked to make sure it was familiar, then gave small a smile as he realized he was in the right place, walking towards the visitors room. 

He was almost there, his memory of where it was serving him well, when turned the corner perhaps a bit too sharply, finding himself nearly chest to chest with one of the guards.

“Who are you?” the officer barked, incredibly self-important for a glorified babysitter. 

“Here to see a patient.” Five snapped back, the severity slightly undercut by the fact that this man was about a head taller than him.  
“Name?”

“Diego Hargreeves.”

The guard stared at him a moment, seemingly weighing whether or not he was lying, then deciding that he didn’t care.

He spun on his heel and stalked towards one of the doors, and Five tried not to grimace at the sight of a rather intimidating syringe in his pocket. He had never exactly loved needles, and the thought of how his meeting with Diego had ended yesterday still made his chest twinge a bit. In his defense, he’d sort of forgotten the whole blood transfusion fainting episode.

“Wait in here.” he said, one of the doors clanking open as he gestured inside. Five gave a small nod of thanks as he walked in, the room looking exactly the same as the one he had visited yesterday.

The guard disappeared as Five took a seat in one of the unforgiving metal chairs, tapping his hands on the tabletop anxiously. The ever present clock in his head was ticking away, counting down the moments he had to fix everything. There was a real clock ticking too, grating on his nerves somehow even more than the one in the lobby had been. He watched as five minutes ticked by, and then ten, and wondered what the hell was taking so long. Finally, the door creaked open once more, revealing a man who was decidedly not Diego.

This man appeared to be another employee of the place, though he was shorter than the guard had been, and much more nervous looking. His hands were wringing together as he stepped in, barely even having the wherewithal to question why a 13 year-old was here by himself during visiting hours.

“Where is he?” Five asked, standing up so he and this new man were eye level across the scratched table. His eyes were dark-ringed when he looked at him, as if he hadn’t slept.

“Mr. Hargreeves, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, here for my brother.”

“Well…” he cleared his throat loudly, smoothing his hands down the front of his crisp white jacket. “ I regret to inform you that he’s not taking visitors at the moment.”

“What?” Five bristled.

“We believe that it’s best for him and everyone else that he remain confined for the time being after his attempted escape.”

“Look, I get that he’s not quite right, but this really can’t wait.” he was talking almost entirely through his teeth now. “So I would like to see my brother, please.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Hargreeves, but we really can’t at-“ he was cut off as Five vaulted over the table, grabbing his by the collar of his jacket and pulling him in close. The man seemed to choke on his words as Five’s wild eyes bored into him.

“Okay asshole, here’s the deal.” Five spat. “You and I both know you’re full of shit, and I normally wouldn’t care, but I have a family thing that really just can’t  
wait, and I’d love for you to hand over my brother, so I can be on my way.”

“You don’t understand!” the man stuttered. “I really can’t, he’s…” he trailed off, shaking as he seemed to struggle with whether or not to say something. Five bared his teeth and dragged him even closer.

“Alright, you have about five seconds to tell me what’s really going on, or your head is going through that table.” he jostled the man around in his arms to emphasize his point.

“Mr. Hargreeves-“

“Where. Is. My brother.” Five growled.

“He’s not here!” the man finally gasped, and Five loosened his grip in surprise, letting the man shuffle backwards.

“What do you mean?”

“Last night, there was an incident.” he was still shaking. “These lunatics came in, and they were shooting at-“

“Lunatics?” Five interrupted. “What kind of lunatics?”

“Swedish, or Scandinavian or something, at least that’s what the people who saw them said.”

“How did they get in?” Five tried to keep his voice even, leaning back against the table he’d threatened to bash the man’s head through only moments before.

“We don’t know.” he sighed, seeming to calm down slightly now that there was some distance between him and Five. “But your brother, he took one of the women here and they… they escaped somehow.”

“I’m sorry, escaped?” Five was seething again. “What the hell kind of organization are you running here?”

“We don’t know how he did it!” the man insisted. “He was in solitary! I think that bitch who left with him helped him out.”

“Oh great, there’s two of them.” Five rolled his eyes.

“We have the police looking-“

“Look, I don’t really give a shit whether he gets back in here or not.” Five interrupted. “I was actually going to try and get him out myself, but since your incompetence deprived me of the privilege, I suppose the best you can do is tell me where he might have gone.” he narrowed his eyes, growing even more impatient as the man stuttered through another reply.

“They would have had to have gone into the woods.” he muttered. “They can’t have gone far on foot.”

“Any idea of the direction?” Five snapped. The man shook his head, then flinched when Five stood up straight once more. 

“Well,” he sighed. “this has been wildly unhelpful, so I think I’ll be on my way.” He straightened his jacket, then made for the door, hands in his pockets.

“Mr. Hargreeves, I don’t think you should-“ he trailed off as Five spun around. 

“Don’t think I should what?” he was smiling, but the threat was apparent in his voice.

“Both of them are dangerous criminals.” he explained. “I don’t think it’s wise to go after them yourself.” Five cocked an eyebrow and the man shrank back against the wall, seemingly regretting saying anything.

“Trust me old man, I can handle it.”

“You’re sure you don’t want us to call anyone?” the man asked quickly. “You can’t very well-“ he shrieked abruptly, staggering backwards and huddling into the corner as Five suddenly disappeared and rematerialized right next to him, leaning in close.

“You have no idea,” Five spat, voice low and dangerous. “what I can and can’t do.”

The man was still shaking when he turned on his heel and left the room, nails biting into the palms of his hands. Perhaps using his powers hadn’t been the wisest move, but in his defense that man had been especially irritating. Besides, he doubted anyone would believe him if he said anything.

He slowed his pace slightly as he thought, wondering where the hell Diego and this mystery girl could’ve gone. The man had been right, they couldn’t have gotten too far from the asylum, but that was assuming they hadn’t managed to get ahold of a car, which given who Diego was seemed unlikely. Leave it to his second least favorite brother to fuck up his entire plan, he though bitterly, eyes trained on the ground in front of him as he walked resolutely back the way he came. Once he had gone the length of a few hallways, he looked around, making sure no one was watching him. The last thing he needed was someone else seeing him teleport.

He had just closed his eyes, hands glowing blue, when he heard a loud metallic clank to his left. He looked over sharply, relieved when no one was there, then promptly groaned when he realized what it was. There was a faint glow emanating from one of the wall panels, a small amount of smoke trailing out.

“Shit.” he muttered, the ‘how the fuck did they find me’ unspoken. He seriously contemplated ignoring the message, but he knew they would only send him more. He spat more curse words under his breath as he pressed on the wall panel, it swinging open to reveal a small can that said “Five” on it. He checked once more to make sure he was alone as he popped the lid off, retrieving the rolled up paper inside. His brow furrowed as he read the words printed in neat typewriter lettering.

Go to the hotel. We have him.

“Fuck.” he shoved the paper into his pocket, closing his eyes and blipping back into the bathroom stall. 

If the commission had Diego, everything had just gotten a lot more complicated. He knew he couldn’t exactly outrun them forever, but still, he’d hoped maybe they’d leave him alone for a bit longer. Of course now, it appeared they had leverage.

It was genius, really, to use his own brother against him. He should’ve seen it coming.

The lobby was empty of visitors once more as he hurried out, breezing past the desk where the lady from before was still reading her papers. She looked up sharply as he swept by, eyebrows raised over her glasses. 

“You were in there a while, kid.” she chuckled, snapping a large piece of gum in her mouth.

He didn’t even look at her, headed for the door. It looked as if he had another rescue mission, and it was barely 9am. If the handler knew where he was, her drones did too, which meant he needed to get to the hotel as fast as he could. He checked the paper in his hand again before using his foot to push the door open, letting in the humid Dallas air. 

“Leaving so soon?” the woman asked, smirking, and he would’ve been lying if he’d said he didn’t enjoy her gasp when he flipped her the finger as he walked out, letting the door swing noisily shut behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there it is! I hope y'all loved reading it as much as I did writing it! Expect the next chapter on Saturday babes!  
> \- Jo


	3. The Curious Happenings of the Girl with the Knife

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tensions between Diego and Lila continues to rise as she gets more desperate for information on where Five is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody! So... oof. This is the rough one. This is the one where I horribly and unapologetically bully Diego. And there's content warnings for that! But first, the fun stuff.
> 
> First off, holy shit you guys! I have never ever ever had this many people interact so positively with anything I've written, and I am being so serious when I say my vibes have been that much better this week because of it. You've all left such lovely comments, and kudos, and just generally made me feel fantastic about my writing skills, which has inspired me to work on this fic even faster than I was!
> 
> This week was a bit crazy at home (it involved a plumbing issue and purple hair dye and having to leave town to stay with relatives), so that's why this chapter was late, also kind of perhaps because the idea that over 1000 people are reading my silly fic scared the shit out of me (in a good way)! I also have been doing a lot at school, but I'm really hoping to try and get the chapters out once a week, if not faster! I have it all planned out, I know where the plot is going, so I promise you will not be left hanging, I appreciate y'all too much to prank you like that.
> 
> Okay, now for the content stuff. There is bleeding in this chapter, as well as threat of stabbing. There's also a not insignificant amount of emotional distress, as well as a panic attack caused by a very brief flashback to Diego's childhood. Also, maybe most importantly, there's a very brief moment were Lila specifically verbally abuses Diego about his stutter. If any of that makes you feel gross, feel free to click away! Next chapter is going to be very comfort based, so you can read that one! I've never really written anything this dark before, so this was as fun as it was slightly terrifying, but I totally get that this isn't for everyone. Other than that, enjoy, and if you think there was a better way I could have handled anything please let me know! I write for fun, and I want people to have fun reading my stuff!
> 
> This is the longest, most in depth chapter of the story so far, and it was definitely a labor of love, so I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed creating it! Please please leave comments, they give me inspiration for writing and also just make me feel good about my writing which is lovely!
> 
> And now, once again, time for the drama!  
> \- Jo

“Wake up, knife boy.”

Diego groaned as he slowly returned to consciousness, his cheek burning. She might have slapped him again, but he really wasn’t sure. All he could focus on was the insistent aching in his throat, the feeling making it hard to breathe. He could only imagine what he looked like, bruises painted across his neck and face like some sort of art project gone horribly awry.

“We need you awake for this bit.”

His visions was still swimming slightly as she pulled his chair farther into the center of the room, where he noticed the light behind the emerald curtains had gotten darker. He didn’t know how long he had been asleep. His throat burned as he cleared it, trying to speak.

“How long was I out?” he rasped, his voice sounding like sandpaper from sleep and misuse.

“Only a few hours, don’t worry, wouldn’t have let you get away for too long.” She flashed him a cheeky smile, and he could feel his blood starting to boil again as he fully woke up.

“So is this the part where you smack me around some more?” he asked. Part of him knew it was dangerous to provoke her, a much larger part of him felt he had nothing to lose.

“That depends.” she took a seat on the coffee table, scooting forward so their knees were touching. “If you can help me, I won’t have to.”

“I told you, I don’t know where he is.” The words felt stale on his tongue.

“And I told you I think you’re lying.” she leaned in closer.

“Don’t you think I would have told you?”

“I’m starting to think I really don’t know as much about you as I thought.”

“No shit.”

He flinched as she clenched her hands into fists, and hated himself for it as soon as he did. He shouldn’t have been so afraid, but in that moment it was as if he could feel her hands around his neck. She gave a deep, put-upon sigh, then rested both of her hands on his knees, her palms seeming to burn through the material.

“We’ve sent Five a message.” she explained, as if she was fighting to keep her tone even. “At least we think we found him, there’s no way of knowing for sure.”

“Okay?” his head hurt, and all of her talking wasn’t helping, and he seriously doubted that Five was coming to his rescue.

“The Commission and my mother are working on finding him right now, but I think there’s a better way.”

“And that is?”

“You tell me where he is…” she trailed one of her hands up his leg. “and I let you go.”

“Why would I do that?” he snapped.

“Because you and I both know it’s faster than the Commission tracking him down and hoping he gets our message.”

Diego paused for a moment, considering. He could lie, give them some bullshit about where Five might be and hope that the believed it. But he doubted they  
would let him go until they had Five, and he didn’t want to know what Lila would do to him for lying.

“How do I know you would let me go?” he asked. Lila laughed, a sharp sound that startled him underneath her hands.

“Because why would we keep you?” she asked incredulously.

“I don’t know, for information?” he tried not to sound too indignant.

“Oh Diego, you honestly think there’s anything you could tell us about you and your family of freaks that we don’t already know?” her fingers traced patterns over his thighs. “We need you to find Five, and after that you’re of no use to us. Though I imagine you’re used to that.”

She brought her other hand up to stroke his face, and he jerked his head away, the hurt in his eyes much more apparent that he wanted it to be.

“If all you need is information on Five, then I’m not even useful to you now.” he grumbled.

“Why are you protecting him?” she blessedly moved her hands away from him, leaning back on the coffee table to fix him once more under her stare.

“I’m not!” he was getting desperate, his voice still struggling due to his mangled windpipe. “I have no reason to protect him, he left me in that shithole with you.”

“Exactly.”

“Lila.” He took a deep breath. “Do you think I would’ve let you do all that to me if I knew where he was?”

“You’re still family.” she pointed out, raising her eyebrow when he let out a bitter laugh.

“You know that’s not true.”

“Alright then, fine.” she stood, brushing off her dress and moving slowly behind him. “Let’s say, for arguments sake, that you’re not protecting him out of some sort of family obligation.”

“What are you d-doing?” he choked out, trying to jerk his head around to see.

“Let’s say it’s something else.” she leaned in close, her lips brushing his ear. “I know you want to be the hero, Diego.”

He sat silently, holding back the “fuck you” that was threatening to spill from his lips if he wasn’t careful. He’d been interrogated before, that was nothing new, but never by someone who knew him so well. Someone he’d told so much. He could feel his face burning again, partly with rage but partly with shame. 

“Couldn’t impress daddy, so you’re going to try and impress me instead?” she crooned, her hands on his shoulders.

“I don’t give a shit about him.” he lied. “Or… or you.”

“That’s a shame, Di, because you really could, you know. Impress me, that is.” she sighed, letting her hands roam down his front, toying with one of the buttons on his shirt. “In fact, I can think of some rather… impressive positions for you right now.”

“Don’t.” It was one of the only things he’d managed to say so far with no hint of his stutter.

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t t-touch me.” he snapped.

“Oh come on.” she let one of her hands move upwards, very lightly touching his neck, and his entire body tensed. “Don’t tell me you don’t want this.”

His mind was swimming as she let her fingertips trace over his Adam’s apple, the skin still raw and chafed from only hours before. This was too much, it was all too much, and it reminded him too much of the asylum. He could still remember how rough the nurses had been there, how many times he’s been left to nurse sprained bones and infected needle punctures in solitary confinement. He couldn’t think, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t force himself to choke out any words. He couldn’t let her keep the upper hand. That was what would do him in. Taking a deep breath and bracing himself for a hit, he managed to rasp out a sentence.

“I’m not in the habit of settling.”

Sure enough, she cracked her hand against the side of his head hard enough to leave his vision swimming, the entire side of his face stinging as he let his head roll forward onto his chest.

“You Hargreeves just really don’t give up, do you?” she seethed, drawing away from him. He tried valiantly to focus, blinking rapidly as she shuffled around where he couldn’t see, opening and closing drawers as loud as she could.

There was a moment of silence, and then the sound of her stalking back over, resuming her place behind his chair. He was just about to open his mouth and say something when he felt something ice cold press against his cheek, a stark contrast to his burning skin. His breathing quickened as he realized what it was, the blade catching the light of one of the nearby lamps.

“Not very original, but I thought it might get you talking.” he could hear the smirk in her voice. The hand not holding the knife had threaded its way into his hair, holding him in place.

“L-lila-“

“Are you going to start talking?”

“Lila be c-careful, you don’t-“ he stopped short as she moved her hand, the knife pressed against his jugular, which jumped as he swallowed.

“You think I won’t do it?” she hissed. “You think I’m afraid of you?”

“N…no.” he forced out, barely able to think about his stutter as he tried to focus on not trembling and jostling the knife. She was quiet for a moment, the only sound in the room that of both of their heavy breathing. When she spoke again, she was quieter.

“You know I don’t love you.” her hand relaxed slightly.

“I know.” he replied, too quickly. It should’ve been obvious, he’d known since he’d been taken here, maybe even before, but somehow hearing it out loud made it worse.

“You love me though.” she pressed on, her thumb tracing along the back of his neck. He could feel moisture building up behind his eyes, and he was horrified to realize that this time it wasn’t just from pain. His chest hurt like someone had punched him.

“N-not anymore.”

“Oh cut the shit, Hargreeves, you’re not fooling anyone.” she sighed dramatically. He fought back more tears that threatened to spill over as she walked back in front of him, mercifully taking the knife away from his throat and letting it dangle at her side.

“I don’t.” he insisted, the words sounding hollow even to him. “How could I?”

“Because if what you’ve said about your family is true, I’m one of the only people who’s ever even pretended to give a shit about you.” she laughed humorlessly, grabbing his chin and looking at him like she couldn’t possibly be more unimpressed. “I can’t say I fault them really.”

“What does that m-mean?” he knew he was playing with fire before he even asked it.

“All of this power, and you still couldn’t even be the best of your own family.” she sighed. “Your own father decided you were second best, and now you just have to prove him wrong. But you can’t even do that, can you? That’s why no one’s come looking for you.”

“Five did.” It was a weak argument, but it was all he could think of through the haze of doubt and self-hatred.

“And then he sold you out!” she cried. “His own brother! And you know why?”

He stayed silent, squeezing his eyes shut so tightly he could see color bursting behind them. Picture the word in your mind, he told himself over and over. Don’t let her get to you. She’s lying.

“Because you weren’t useful.” She finished, her grip tightening painfully. “You couldn’t give him what he wanted, you were almost the reason we didn’t escape from the asylum, and now you can’t even give me simple information.”

“I don’t know what y-you… what you-“ he shook his head, trying desperately to clear his mind enough to focus. “Lila, I c-can’t…” he winced as her nails dug into his cheek.

“You can’t even get to the end of that sentence.”

Her eyes were like pieces of flint as she stared down at him, and he didn’t even have the mind to feel sorry as he felt tears roll down his cheeks, screwing his eyes shut once more. 

She suddenly sat down on his lap, like she had earlier, but this time her movements were more purposeful, more precise. Her gaze was cold as she reached for the buttons on his shirt and began undoing them. Fear of what she was going to do to him made him choke on his words in his throat, panic mixing in with white-hot shame. She was focused as she undid the last of the garment, sliding the fabric off his shoulders as far as it would go before it was caught on the chair.  
Oddly enough, he felt less exposed then he had a moment ago, forced to look her in the eyes. He didn’t care if she stared at his bare chest, if she would only stop talking. His nerves felt flayed, and his entire body shook with unshed tears, leaving him feeling raw and useless, as if she’d cut him to the very bone with her words alone. He let his head fall to his chest, a sign of surrender.

Seemingly satisfied, she swung her legs off of his lap, moving to her familiar spot behind him. He tried to focus as much as he could on not moving, painfully aware that he could no longer see the blade. Her fingers ran along the tops of his arms, almost as if she was considering something.

“Which one of your shoulders did you fuck up while we were escaping?” she asked suddenly, and he was so happy to have a question about something other then Five that he couldn’t even find it in himself to come up with something snarky.

“Left.”

“Perfect.” she said brightly, and before he could ask why he was letting out a grunt of pain, clenching his teeth as the blade dug into the meat of said injured shoulder. 

“Fuck.” he grunted, trying to ignore how sick the feeling of his own blood running down the front of his chest and his arm made him feel.

“What’s the matter, Di?” Lila purred. “Can’t handle a little bit of blood?”

“Lila please, I can’t give you what you w-want.” he groaned. “I told y-you everything.”

“And yet Five still isn’t here.” She lifted the knife, digging another cut right next to the first one. This one was deeper, and he tried to hold back the gasp clawing at the back of his throat. 

“I d-don’t know where he went, he never – fuck Lila, please I…”

He fought back the urge to scream as she moved the knife to his chest, cutting a line from his sternum and across his collarbone to his shoulder. It wasn’t as sharp as it looked, and the drag was excruciating. His survival instincts took over and he tried to jerk away, only succeeding in being cut further.

“This isn’t all that I have, Diego.” she said flatly, moving to lay another line on his chest. “I know what you’re scared of. You told me, remember?.”

“No, L-lila…” he trailed off, his head rolling onto his uninjured shoulder as more tears streamed down his face. At least he could blame these on the knife.

“The needles I have are a lot bigger than the ones at the asylum, I promise you.”

He tried again to jerk out of her grasp, her finger tightening painfully in his grasp. There was a small, sick part of him that wanted her to bring out a needle. At least that way he could black out. There was blood streaming in tiny rivulets all down the front of his body now, soaking the sleeves of his shirt and the waistband of his jeans. Lila was methodical as she moved, as if this wasn’t her first time doing this. It probably wasn’t.

“This all goes away if you talk, Di.” she muttered, still focused. “Or…” he let out a small whimper as she pressed the knife to his cheek, wet with blood. “It doesn’t.”

“L-lila-“

“You know what I’m about to ask, don’t you?” her grip didn’t falter as he nodded, ever so slightly. “Say it.”

“Lila, I d-don’t…” 

This time, he did scream, long and broken as Lila sunk the knife into his cheekbone, right below his eye. His tears stung as they rolled over the wound, blood and salt mixing and pouring down his cheek. He was sobbing now, air hacking it’s way out of his lungs until his entire chest seized up, making words impossible. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t see. He hadn’t wanted to lose consciousness this badly since he was a child, stuck in one of his father brutal training sessions.

“Hey.” Lila’s voice was stern, but her fingers loosened in his hair, until she was simply holding him in place instead of pulling. “Don’t you dare pass out again, Hargreeves. Breathe.”

He shook his head violently, the motion making his neck ache, tasting copper as he bit his lip hard enough to make that bleed as well. He could feel his heartbeat in his ears, as it seemed to pulse with the blood staining his torso. The knife was gone, not touching him anywhere, but he could still feel it, his muscles tensing up  
more than he thought was possible as he tried to anticipate where she would gouge him next.

“Diego!” she was yelling now, stomping over to the table and picking up his belt, making him shake against the chair even harder, his wrists raw where the rope held him down. “Take a deep breath or I swear I’ll make sure you can’t.”

He closed his eyes, focusing every fiber of his being on doing as she asked. His vision was clouding at the edges, and he struggled to keep his eyes trained on her hands. If he could see them , she wasn’t hurting him. She was still glowering as he forced himself to take a long, shuddery breath, the movement paining him even more than he let show. 

“You don’t get to sleep through this.” she snapped. He nodded, then tried to speak, his throat feeling like sandpaper.

“I w-won’t, I swear…” he choked out, his voice thick with tears. “Just don’t… please d-don’t use the belt again I c-can’t, Lila…”

“Shut up.” she cut him off, and he tried not to start crying all over again as she dropped the belt onto the table, rolling her eyes. “And stay awake. I have to get something.”

He nodded dumbly, slumping into the chair in relief as she walked away. He didn’t even care what she had planned next, his mind was already so hazy with pain and fear. His torso was sticky with blood, and he felt sick as he looked down at the mess of knife wounds he’d become.

Lila returned way faster than he’d hoped she would, the sound of her feet on the carpet making fresh dread settle in his stomach. This time, when she walked in front of him, she was holding a much larger knife, and his mouth went dry as she weighed in in her palm.

“Feeling like you have some new information for me, my love?” she smirked, the red staining the front of her dress making her the perfect picture of a psychopath. The pet name was a new kind of pain, but he ignored it, eyes trained on the blade in her hand.

She looked up at him expectantly, and he bit down on his lip again, knowing his words would fail him if he even tried. He was just so tired.  
Her gaze clouded again, and she stepped forward, the knife gripper tightly in her fist. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the pain, but it didn’t come.  
Instead, there was a flash of blue light, the sound of Lila letting out a string of swear words, something falling to the ground, and a terrified squeaking noise that it took Diego a moment to realize he had made. His eyes were still screwed shut, but they opened incredulously as he heard the voice of someone he recognized. Someone who was decidedly not Lila. Despite everything, he felt himself smile slightly as he looked up, relishing in the surprise on Lila’s face. Five’s voice was cold as he stared her down.

“Just what the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there ya go! I hope you can all still abide me, even with my apparent need to bully my favorite characters, and come back for the next chapter! Y'all are the reason I do this, so comment, kudos, and subscribe! Stay tuned for more Diego shenanigans!  
> \- Jo


	4. The Curious Happenings of the Woman With the Gun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected hero makes an entrance for Diego! But a strange and mysterious business deal gets in the way...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all you lovely literary enthusiasts! So, I am so beyond excited to be giving you all this chapter, because I'm really proud of it! I don't usually write suspense things, and this was kind of a stab, so be sure to tell me if I got it right! Maybe less ass-kicking then you may have expected, but I promise just as much excitement!
> 
> Also, I have some news y'all! Myself and a partner of mine have started a Patreon for my fic! Also an Instgram! I am so excited to be giving all of you more quality content! While all of my chapter to this and upcoming fic will still be posted on AO3 for all of you, with a Patreon subscription you can get chapter up to 3 days early for only 3 dollars a month! Not just for Love is Blue of course, but for all of my future fics as well. And now for the most exciting part, which is... fanart! Made by my partner Arrow, who is a brilliantly talented artist who is now illustrating scenes from my fics (which will be available for digital download)! I am so so excited to be bringing all of this to you guys, because without all of your support I don't think I ever would've been inspired to write like I have been! You can follow our Instgaram @jo_arrow_official and subscribe to our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/JoArrow !
> 
> Okay last thing, there are no content warnings for this chapter except use of guns. Other that it's mostly witty banter and Five being a badass! This seriously may be my favorite chapter I've written so far, so please leave me your thoughts, your criticisms and your good vibes in the comments section! Can't wait to bring you guys more stories and art, and thank you for all of your support!  
> \- Jo

The first thing he notices when he blips into the room is the smell. Thick and coppery, filling the room like smoke. He never really gets used to the stench of blood, but it’s almost overpowering when he’s standing right in front of it. Or more accurately in front of his brother, who’s currently dripping blood all over the green shag carpet.

Under any other circumstance, he would’ve relished the look on Lila’s face when he appeared on front of her, but for the moment his mind was on negotiations. He needed to leave with Diego. Now.

“Just what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he growled, his eyes narrowed at Lila, who was clearly itching to grab the knife she had dropped on the floor in her surprise. To her credit, she did a good job of recovering, her exterior ice cold once more. He knew that look, he’d seen it on The Hander.

“Little bit of target practice.” she glared back at him.

They stood like that a moment, staring at each other full of malice, with Diego’s labored breathing the only sound in the room. He knew how the Commission worked, how they trained. If he wanted Diego back, he was going to have to play his cards right. If Lila knew that he cared about Diego, she would use it against him.

“Understandable.” he replied, thankful that Diego seemed in too much pain to really be listening. “Unfortunately I need him alive.”

“So do I.”

“Not really, I mean you have me now don’t you?” he pointed out. “You don’t need him. Unless you’re getting sentimental.”

“Right.” Lila scoffed. “That’s what the Commission is known for.”

“Speaking of…” Five stepped back slightly, away from where blood was still soaking the carpet. “Where’s your mother? I want to talk to an adult.”

“Fuck you.” Lila rolled her eyes.

“Call her.”

“Fine.”

In a surprising show of strength, she grabbed the back of Diego’s chair, dragging him over to the rotary phone on the wall. She punched in a single number, then held it up to her ear, looking almost bored.

“Mum? It’s me. Five’s here.” she said after a moment, letting her hand rest almost possessively on Diego’s shoulder. “Yes I still have him. Yes. Fine.” She put the phone back with a huff, and Five smirked.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

“I’m under strict instructions not to kill either of you.” she sighed. 

“Seems like you tried your hardest with him.” Five nodded at Diego, feeling himself bristle when she let out a laugh.

“Oh please, I barely touched him, not my fault he’s such a bitch.”

Diego had let his head roll onto the back of the chair, and his eyes were only slightly open. Five was seriously starting to worry about the amount of blood he was losing.

Five was about to snap something witty back at her, when suddenly there was another flash of blue light, and The Handler herself was standing before him, fake smile plastered on.

“Well hello Five!” she said gaily, reaching up and pinching his cheek. His hand itched to reach for the gun in his waistband, but he shoved it in his pocket instead, feeling his knuckles crack with the force of the fist he had made.

“Pleasure as always.” his face was like stone. “At what point are you and your minions going to stop being a pain in my ass?”

“When you respond to our messages.” she replied, turning around and stalking over to Diego, her red heels sinking into the carpeting. “Which for the record, we knew you would.”

“Believe me, it wasn’t out of professional obligation.” Five growled.

The Handler wasn’t listening, instead bringing her hand up to lock in a vice grip around Diego’s jaw, turning his head side to side. Five tried not to flinch at how hard his head hit his chest when he let go.

“You let yourself get sloppy, sweetheart.” she said pointedly at Lila. “You promised you wouldn’t let your… closeness get in the way.”

“I didn’t.” she snapped. “I only did what you taught me.”

“I don’t recall teaching you to ruin perfectly good shag carpeting.” The Handler replied coolly, wrinkling her nose at the state of the floor beneath her.

“It’s not even our floor.” Lila was suddenly sullen, making her look even younger than she was. The Handler ignored her, looking at Five once more, who was still itching to simply grab his pistol and shoot her in the face. From the way her shark eyes were boring into him, she knew that’s what he wanted too. He tried to relax.

“Look, I hate to interrupt any bullshit mother daughter bonding that might be going on,” he rolled his eyes. “but I have places to be, and unfortunately he has to  
come too.”

He nodded in the direction of his brother, who looked as though he might have finally sank into unconsciousness, which was somehow relieving and worrying at the same time. 

“Believe me Five, we don’t want him here any more than you do, but we need something.”

“From him?” Five cocked an eyebrow, and The Handler let out a shrill laugh, as if the very idea was ridiculous.

“He’s served his purpose.” she smirked, finally letting herself sink onto the hideously upholstered couch. “No, Five, we need something from you.”

“You know as much as I loved murdering for a living, I think you’ll recall I quit.” Five moved his right hand from his front pocket to his back, so he could just feel the cold metal hidden in his waistband. “Quite decisively.”

“And I was quite happy to let you go, what with all the almost killing me business, but it seems that you’re the only person who can do this job.”

Five was only half-listening, his eyes darting around as quickly as he could manage to take stock of the room. Lila was still stood by the rotary phone with Diego, arms crossed as she leaned against the wall. If he could just manage to get her away from Diego, they could both leave. The knife was still lying untouched on the floor, soaked with drying blood.

“What job?” he asked.

“I need you to kill Carmichael and his cronies.” The Handler sighed. “There are things happening at the Commission, things that are way above your paygrade, and I need him out of the way.”

“And what makes you think I’ll do it?” he hedged.

“Because you need your brother back, and you and I both know no matter how fast you grab that gun in your back pocket, Lila can kill him before you even fire a shot.”

Five stopped a moment, trying to weigh his options. As much as it killed him, he was going to have to change tactics, and hope to fuck The Handler believed him.

“Who says I care?” he replied, his voice icy. He was glad Diego was knocked out.

“You’re the one who came running when you found out we had him.” Lila chimed in.

“Yes I did, because my brother here has a giant mouth, and the last thing I needed was you assholes knowing anything about my family.” he wasn’t entirely lying, but part of him was terrified The Handler was going to see right through him.

“So you’d risk giving yourself away, just for the sake of what? Some information?” The Handler’s shark smile was back. “That’s bold even for you, Number Five.”

“Yeah well, big family lots of bullshit.” 

“Why do you even need him so badly?” Lila had her hand wrapped in Diego’s hair, and he groaned as she pulled him backwards. “Where are you going?”

“That’s not really any of your fucking business, is it?” Five snapped, glaring at her again. “Now if you don’t mind, the adults are talking.”

Lila’s face was contorted with anger as she opened her mouth to reply with something no doubt filled with expletives, but The Handler simply waved a hadn’t in her direction, silencing her. There was an audible thud as she leaned back against the wall, staring at Five so hard he though he might burst into flames. The Handler leaned back, her hands braced over the back of the couch as she looked at Five expectantly.

“How do I know you won’t kill him while I’m gone?” he asked.

“You know that’s not company policy.” The Handler smiled. 

“Well given that you’re now holding business meetings in shitty hotels, I’d say you’re not exactly operating by company policy anymore.”

“Well then you’re just going to have to trust us, aren’t you?” she still hadn’t broken eye contact, but Five refused to be the first to look away. He laughed, finally taking his hands out of his pockets.

“Yeah right.”

“You don’t have another choice.”

“I could leave.” he relished the fact that for the first time, she looked slightly taken aback.

“And leave your brother with us?”

“Seems like that’s my only option.” 

“He’s of no use to us.” she pointed out. “Not now that we found you.”

“Put him in your program.” Five replied. “Aren’t you and the suits always looking for new recruits anyway?” The Handler let out another laugh, this time one that seemed genuine.

“Oh come on, Five.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s not Commission material, you and I both know it.”

“Should’ve found another sibling for leverage, I guess.” Five crossed his arms.

“You think so?”

“Well this certainly isn’t working is it?” he snapped.

For a moment, The Handler went silent, staring at him across the giant wooden coffee table as if she could read his mind if she tried hard enough. Maybe she could, it wouldn’t surprise him. But instead of telling him any of his own deep thoughts, she simply let out a long, deep, sigh, as if he were terrible inconveniencing her somehow. 

“No, it isn’t.” Then her eyes narrowed, and she stood, and before Five could blink she had pulled a gun out of her coat pocket and trained it on Diego. “But maybe this will.”

It took everything in him not to scream, but Five managed to keep his emotions on hold as he watched the gun in her hand. Part of him had often wondered if she was even human, with the way she could hold herself unnaturally still. Her finger was poised over the trigger, her whole body tensed like a rubber band ready to snap. She was smiling her wolfish smile, all teeth, at Diego, who looked terrified. Lila still had her grip on his hair, forcing him to look at the gun, though Five doubted he could’ve looked away even if he had the ability.

Diego made a small whimpering noise, something that could’ve been “please,” and Lila pulled roughly on his hair to silence him. His eyes had lost their glassiness from earlier, and were now fully open and painfully conscious. Five wanted to throw up.

“Last chance, Number Five.” The Handler drawled, finally letting her gaze move from Diego. “I really don’t want to kill someone so you can find better employment.”

“Then don’t.” Five snapped. “Seen as you’ve gone rogue I don’t think you could handle the upholstery bill.”

“Who says I’ve gone rogue?”

“Someone who’s seen one too many power hungry assholes try to weed out the people above them.” Five gave his best attempt at a smile, years of training being the only thing that kept his hands from wavering.

“Right, well, be that as it may, I have places to be as well, so I’d really appreciate if you could make a decision.” her patience was wearing, the lines in her façade cracking as she continued to stare. 

“Five…” it was Diego again, his face pinched as he wheezed with the pain of talking. Five wished he wouldn’t.

“It’s an easy job, Five.” The Handler continued. “In, out, we give you your brother back and then you’re all on your merry way.”

“And you won’t try to contact me again?” He was stalling for time, and he knew it, but maybe she didn’t. Maybe he would be lucky. He was moving achingly slowly as he reached for his gun, trying to keep her eyes locked on his.

“No.” she said ardently. “You can expect no more interference from the Commission. After Carmichael is taken care of, of course.”

“How long do I have?” His hand wrapped around the metal handle, the cold biting into his skin. The Handler paused, thinking a moment.

“Tonight would be preferable.” 

“And my brother is left alone?”

“Yes.” she promised. “So you’ll take the job, and save me some clean-up?” She was still staring with wide, dull eyes as he pulled the gun out from behind him, levelling it at her head.

“I don’t think so.”

The sound of the two gunshots was deafeningly loud, accompanied by Lila and Diego both screaming. The sound was raw and primal in Diego’s throat, his eyes still locked on The Handler.

As soon as he had fired his shot, Five flashed in front of Diego, and if he had been one more for praying he would have prayed that the bullet didn’t hit anything vital. Even as he re-appeared in front of Diego’s chair part of him knew he was too late, but he braced himself anyway.

He waited for Diego to scream again, this time in pain, but no such sound came. For a moment, it was horribly, sickeningly silent. Then the air was cut by another loud, long, scream, followed by so much cursing that under different it might have made Five blush. It took him a moment to realize it was Lila, who fell to the floor with a thud, clutching her shoulder. Blood was seeping into the carpet again, but this time it was from her, spilling out over her fingers.

Diego’s eyes were still locked on where the bullet had been seemingly stunned. Five was stunned too, which was rare. He had watched the bullet move towards his brother. He had watched it move towards him. He wished he had a fucking clue as to how it had hit Lila.

He didn’t have too much time to think it over though, because of course this had to be the one time he’d missed. The Handler looked for a moment at Lila, then her eyes locked on Five, standing defensively in front of Diego.

“You little shit.” she hissed, raising her gun to fire again.

“Five!” Diego said urgently, as if he somehow didn’t know just how pressing getting the fuck out of there was.

Five heard the gun go off, but he felt nothing, because he had already grabbed Diego’s arm and focused all of his power on shifting them both as far away as he could. He could hear the Handler yell something else, he didn’t know what, and then they were gone, tumbling into an alleyway he didn’t recognize. 

The concrete hurt as he slammed into it on his hands and knees, but he imagined it was better than it was for Diego, who slammed into the ground nearly face first. They both sat for a moment, catching their breath, Diego still shaking. Then Five took a deep breath, looking over at where his brother was still prone on the ground.

“Hey Diego?” he panted. Diego grunted in response. “How the fuck did you do that?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there you have it! Thank you all so much for your love and hilarious endearing comments, expect a new chapter very soon! Did I mention I'm excited? Next chpater will be on my Patreon on Saturday and here on AO3 on Monday!  
> \- Jo


	5. The Curious Happenings of the Man With the Apartment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diego and Five have finally escaped! Feelings, Jello-O, and shitty driving ensue, as well as, against Diego's will, some brotherly bonding!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jo? Posting a chapter? Unheard of. Seriously though y'all, school was ridiculous and that's why it took me so long to edit this! But I'm really proud of this chapter, and think you will all be thrilled to know that after all the hurt our boy finally gets some comfort! 
> 
> There are no content warnings for this chapter, save mentions of stitches? If that bothers you? It bothers Diego! Also small mention of Luther watching Burlesque shows, lol.
> 
> I really hope y'all have enjoyed reading this as much as enjoyed writing it! Cannot believe how much attention this has gotten, and also that the finale chapter is the next one! Speaking of, if you want more content from me and my very talented artist friend (including companion art for this fic!!!!) subscribe to the Jo & Arrow Patreon and follow us one Instagram @jo_and_arrow! 
> 
> Last thing, as always, I love love love and will totally reply to your comments! Constructive, complimentary, vaguely unusual, whatever you feel! I adore hearing from y'all!
> 
> -Jo

Try as he might to figure it out, Diego still didn’t know what the fuck had happened in the hotel room. He remembered staring at the gun as it fired, then a flash of blue light, then a hand biting into the flesh of his arm, pulling him along as they flashed out of the room. Maybe it didn’t miss. Maybe he was dead. Then again, being dead probably wouldn’t hurt as much.

He let out a groan as he rolled onto his side, his bruised ribs and bleeding shoulder protesting with every breath. He thought he could hear Five panting as well, but he didn’t really care, instead focusing on trying to breathe enough to make his head stop spinning. He had only jumped with Five a few times, but he always hated it. 

“How the fuck did you do that?” Five gasped, struggling to stand. “What happened in…”

He paused as a sound drifted towards them from above, and only then did Diego’s head finally stop spinning. It was the sound of the Commission briefcases, lighting up as they took The Handler and possibly Lila somewhere.

“Shit.” Five grabbed Diego’s arm, hauling him to his feet as he let out a hiss of pain. “We need to go, they’re not going to be far behind.”

Diego just nodded, doing his best to pick his feet up as Five pulled him out of the alleyway and into the street, heading for a short grey car parked a couple yards away. He knew Five couldn’t risk jumping out here in broad daylight, but his shoulder was throbbing with a new kind of pain now that his adrenaline was wearing off, and despite being tied to a chair for the better part of two days he really just wanted to sit down.

Five winced along with him as he all but shoved him in the passenger seat, rattling a pair of ancient looking keys from his pocket and slamming the car into drive as soon as he was in the driver’s seat. The various brightly colored shops and salons flew past them , and Diego briefly wondered what the cops would say if they pulled over a thirteen year old driving like he was in some sort of car chase. He didn’t have much time to think it over though, for he was already rapidly losing consciousness again. 

“Hey!” Five snapped, worry pinching his face as he reached out and slapped Diego on his (thankfully uninjured) shoulder. “Stay awake, okay? It’s not that far, and I’m not doing CPR on you.”

“Fuck you.” Diego groaned, but fought to stay awake all the same. The last thing they needed was to veer the car off the road because Five was attempting to keep him conscious through some bizarre fist-fighting attempt.

Slowly, the buildings became less bright and more dingey, and Diego tried to occupy himself by counting the street signs. Anything to not think about how much his body hurt, and how there was still blood soaking his jeans and his button down. He realized belatedly that he was still basically shirtless, but he was also entirely beyond caring, his limbs feeling too heavy to move as he slumped into the leather seat. 

Finally, Five came to a stop in front of a building that looked exactly like all the others that they had passed, and both brothers breathed a sigh of relief. Five punched the car into park perhaps a bit harder than was strictly necessary, and it took Diego a moment to realize that it was because his hands were shaking.

“Wait here.” Was all Five said as he jumped out of the car, slipping inside a door and disappearing into the building. He didn’t really have another choice.

If he hadn’t been so tired he could barely keep his eyes open, he might have laughed at the person Five had re-emerged with. It was a short, gangly man in a worn looking flannel, whose eyes kept darting around as though he was waiting for someone to jump out at him. His eyes widened impossibly further when he looked into the passenger seat, no doubt wondering what murder scene Diego had just dragged himself back from.

“He got in a fight.” Five explained as he threw the passenger door open, and Diego mentally promised himself he would thank Five later for making him sound more badass than he actually was.

“With what?” The man in the flannel asked. “A chainsaw?”

He stared incredulously a moment longer, until Five gave a very pointed grunt as he grabbed Diego’s arms, pulling him out of the seat as best he could given their size difference.

“Oh!” the man in the flannel quickly moved to help, hooking his arms under Diego’s shoulders and pulling him out as gently as he could manage. “Sorry, sorry, that looks like it hurts.”

“Please tell me you have some sort of first aid kit.” Five sighed.

“Of course!” Flannel guy began dragging him backwards towards the door Five had gone in, then suddenly looked at Diego, the angle more than a bit awkward given their position. “I’m Elliott, by the way.”

“Diego.” Diego managed to grunt back, his vision beginning to swim again as his shoulder was jerked around with every step.

“Hargreeves?” the man, Elliott, grinned as though someone had just reminded him it was Christmas morning.

“My brother.” Five cut in as they opened the door, Elliott pulling him inelegantly up a flight of stairs.

“You’re the guy who got arrested with the knives, right?” Elliott continued, alarmingly chipper for someone who was holding a man about to get copious amounts of blood on his furniture.

“Elliott!” Five snapped. “Can we save the questions for, I don’t know, any other time?”

Diego sighed as they finally, blissfully, laid him down on a couch, finally letting himself relax. It appeared to be some sort of tiny apartment, filled with random electronic devices, sparse furniture, and, perhaps most strangely, a corkboard with pictures of him and his siblings. He could hear Elliott apologizing, then rustling around to find medical supplies. Five lifted him up to unceremoniously shove a pillow behind his head, then lowered him back, pacing back and forth around the small room with posture so tense Diego was worried he might wear a hole in the floor.

“Here.” Elliott re-emerged with a plastic box full of medical supplies, handing them to Five. “Some of that should stop the bleeding, anyway.”

Five nodded, and wasted no time in moving to crouch next to the couch, trying to roll Diego to get a better look at his shoulder. It hurt, but he was too tired to really complain, so he simply let himself drift in and out of sleep as Five worked, cleaning up all the dried blood that had run down his chest and arm. Despite how detached Five was attempting to make himself, it was weirdly soothing to have somebody taking care of him, even if that somebody had sold him out to the guards back at the asylum. He would bring that up later, but presently it was kind of hard to hold anything against him, his face still ridden with anxiety as he looked over his brother. After a moment he stopped, shaking his head.

“These are going to need stitches.” he said flatly, tapping one of the knife cuts.

“Fucking figures.” Diego groaned, rolling over further to give Five better access. His stomach already felt sick at the thought of the needle, which was stupid, because he’d just been half butchered by a hunting knife, for fuck’s sake.

“Is there anything else I need to be worried about?” Five asked, looking him over as though Diego was somehow hiding even more injuries. Diego almost laughed at how motherly he looked for a moment, then decided that perhaps it wasn’t the best time.

“How do you know if you have a crushed windpipe?” he said instead, reaching up to gingerly touch his throat, which still felt raw and swollen. He hadn’t looked in a mirror since before he had left the asylum, and in the moment it dawned on him that maybe he was a bit afraid to.

“I don’t think you’d be able to talk.” Five rolled his eyes, then seemed to regret it when he realized how worried Diego looked, swallowing thickly as he felt along the line of his jaw. “It’ll look like shit for a few days, but you’ll be fine.”

“Think so?”

“Yeah.” he took a deep breath. “Now, stitches.”

“Jesus.” Diego sank further into the couch, closing his eyes and trying to measure out his breaths.

“I know, I’m sorry.” Five said, not unkindly. “I can work fast as long as you hold still.”

“Won’t be a problem.” Diego cracked his eyes, then abruptly shut them again rather than watch Five work on threading the medical needle he’d found in the box. He must’ve noticed how green Diego had gone, because he softened slightly as he looked up. “You don’t have to watch.”

Diego just nodded, taking deep breaths in through his nose. He felt Five’s hands start moving over his shoulder, the needle pinching every time it went in. It was nothing compared to half of the other bullshit he’d gone through, but still, he felt like he deserved a break. His eyes narrowed as he heard a sound, then widened almost comically as he realized that the noise was Five, humming some soft song to himself as he worked.

“You listen to music?” Diego rasped, more to distract himself from the pain than anything.

“What?” 

“Sorry, I just never imagined you… liking that sort of thing I guess.”

“Everyone likes music, Diego.” Five let out a small huff that could’ve been a laugh. “I think you might’ve lost more blood than I thought.”

“I’m serious!” Diego protested, moving slightly and then letting out a grunt of pain as the thread in his shoulder pulled farther than it was meant to. “I mean do you ever… dance?”

Five stared at him quizzically for a moment, seemingly trying to decide if he was joking or not. Diego stared right back, eyes wide and earnest, a smile pulling at his mouth for the first time in what felt like months. He knew he was delirious, but it was nice to have a conversation where he could ask the questions for once. It took him a moment to realize that he hadn’t truly had a conversation where nothing was expected of him since he’d first been put in the asylum. Five rolled his eyes and shook his head as he continued working, smirking just a bit despite himself.

“I did.” he said after he had finished another stitch. “When I was by myself. Even found some records once.”

“Who?”

“They were all shit.” Five sighed. “You can only listen to Madonna’s greatest hits so many times.”

Diego pondered that a moment, then suddenly, startling even Five, barked out a laugh that in hindsight was downright embarrassing.

“What the fuck is so funny?” he snapped, moving the needle away for the moment.

“You in your… schoolboy shorts.” Diego made a valiant attempt to keep a straight face. “Dancing to fucking Madonna.”

Elliott had wandered back in from the kitchen, and was watching with curiosity as Five glared at his brother from his spot on the floor.

“Is everything okay?” Elliott asked.

“It would appear my idiot brother finds blood loss hilarious.” Five grumbled, grabbing Diego’s arm to hold him in place perhaps a bit harsher than was strictly necessary. 

“Easy!” Diego hissed, trying to settle as Five finished stitching another cut. He still felt nauseous, but he also looked slightly less like he’d been attacked by a bear, so that was something. Part of him hoped it would scar.

“I’m trying.” Five snapped. “If I don’t do this right you’re going to bleed more and then you’ll be even more of a pain in my ass.”

Diego sobered up, trying to remain still and not get too freaked out by Elliott’s staring. He was starting to think that maybe this guy didn’t get out much. Five was still grumbling as he worked, but he seemed to have relaxed slightly, however annoyed he pretended to be. Even so, he still seemed… weirdly shaken, for someone who Diego had seen mow down entire groups of people without even flinching. He barely even noticed when Elliott stammered something about frozen dinners and hurried back out of the room, muttering to himself.

As he lay on the couch, focusing on anything but the needle in his shoulder, he also couldn’t help but notice the way that Five’s eyes kept darting around even as he worked, like he was waiting for someone to come back for his brother. It struck Diego, not for the first time, just how odd it was to see the exhausted gaze of a middle aged man in the face of a teenager.

“Hey.” he said softly, the laughter now gone from his voice in favor of something he could almost describe as caring. If Five tried to bring it up later he would dismiss it as being tired, but somehow he didn’t think he would. “I never did thank you.”

“For what?” Five didn’t look up, but Diego didn’t miss how hard he was working to still his hands, which were still slightly jittery.

“For saving my ass.” he sighed, bringing his good arm up to rest behind his head. “I don’t know if Lila would’ve actually killed me, but-“

“She would have.” Five’s gaze met his for a moment, eyes like chips of ice, then he shook slightly and looked back down. “And you were only there because of me.”

“What?”

“That’s why The Commission wanted you, you were just some sort of pawn-“ he sucked in a breath, realizing what he’d said as he looked up at his brother again.  
“Shit, not like that-“

“It’s okay.” Diego cut him off. “I know that’s why I was there, I just…. didn’t want to believe her, I guess.”

“Diego-“

“I think I’d probably be pretty useless when it comes to a company that collects time-travelling superhumans.” He let out a mirthless laugh. Five took another deep breath, rolling his eyes just slightly as he finished the last row of stitches. 

“You’re not useless, Diego.” 

“Oh Jesus.” Diego sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I have lost way too much blood to have some bullshit brotherly moment with you right now.”

“What? No, God, I just…” Five looked lost for words for a moment, then seemed to gather himself. “Just because Lila was full of shit doesn’t mean everybody is.”

“Thanks, old man.” 

“Fuck you.” Five replied, though there was no real feeling behind it.

With his work for the moment done, the adrenaline drained from his bones seemingly all at once, and suddenly he looked so exhausted that Diego felt bad for him. He turned around to lean his back on the couch, his cross-legged pose making him seem so much younger than he was. Diego simply let himself melt even further into the cushions, feeling likewise exhausted, though somehow still too antsy to sleep. 

“Do you think they’re going to find me?” He almost didn’t want to know the answer.

“It’s what they do.” Five sighed. “But I think they’ll have a hard time getting you away from us again.”

“Us?” Diego sat up slightly, not even daring to hope. Five smirked, turning to look at him.

“What, you think you’re the only sibling I’ve had to track down this week?”

“Holy shit.” Diego flopped back against the pillows again, not even caring about the jolt it sent through his shoulder as he felt himself smile wider than he thought maybe he ever had.

“You’re not the only one who’s gotten up to some weird shit.” Five chuckled. “Luther is a bouncer now.”

“No shit?” 

“Yep. Burlesque club.”

“Oh God.” Diego shuddered slightly, because thinking about Luther in any sort of burlesque club situation was horrifying, but it still didn’t quell the excitement that was bubbling up in his chest. “What about Klaus?”

“Cult leader.”

“What?” he sat up again, holding back another burst of laughter that was sure to pop his stiches. “Like… a big cult?”

“From what the papers say, anyway.”

“How do you know all of this?”

“Elliott’s been tracking all of us.” Five explained. “Since we got here, actually. He has photos, and newspapers, all sorts of conspiracy theorist bullshit. Pretty sure it’s the highlight of his life that he managed to get two of us to stay here.”

“How did he know when we were showing up?” Diego asked. “And how much does the public know about us? Do they even know we’re related? Does Dad-“

“Diego.” Five let out a long sigh. “I can’t explain all of this to you right now. Most of it doesn’t make sense to me when I’m fully awake.”

“Oh.”

“But the important thing is that I know how to find everyone, and The Handler has no idea we’re hiding here.”

“You think so?”

“She better not.” Five said it like it was a promise. “But whether she find us and murders us tomorrow or not doesn’t change the fact that we both need to sleep.”

“Right.” Part of him wanted to argue, but he couldn’t deny that real sleep, even on a lumpy sectional, sounded like his personal brand of heaven right about now.

“I have to call Luther.” Five grimaced. “But I’ll wake you up if I find any of the others.”

“You will?”

“Yeah, promise.” Five rolled his eyes once more as he stood, joints cracking, and Diego stifled a laugh. “Now go the fuck to sleep.”

Diego opened his mouth to answer, but at that moment Elliott bustled in holding some sort of terrifying Jell-O, and it seemed like as good a time as any to pretend he was already passed out. 

It was strange, sleeping on a something that was actually relatively comfortable, but Diego relished the feeling, sinking into the couch as if he were at a luxury hotel. He could hear Five talking on the phone somewhere else in the house, and then the sounds of what might have been a typewriter, and for a brief, soul-wrenching moment it was like he was back at The Academy again. 

He thought about Klaus, and Vanya, and even Luther, surprised at how much his chest ached at the thought of seeing them all again. Even if they were different. He knew he was. Even before the scars littering his torso, he’d felt like he’d become someone else, perhaps someone braver. He was going to have to be if The Handler and Lila were still after them all. But he would think about all of that tomorrow, when his siblings were closer and his body hurt less.

For the moment, he curled in on himself, heedless of the sun still streaming through the window and illuminating the small apartment. Even with the noise, and the slight ache all over, he felt himself relax, and for the first time in what felt like years, he felt safe enough to fall into a deep and dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there you have it! I really hope you all enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! MOre UA content coming soon, pinky swear. Until then!  
> \- Jo


End file.
